Between public and private: The identity of the first Greek female scholar EvanthiaKairis (1799-1866)

Abstract

Evanthia Kairisis the first representative of the female gender that thas taken a place in the history of Greek literature and has constantly attracted both literary criticism and publishing interest. She was born in Andros in 1799 and initiated by her brother Theophilos Kairis in the ideas of the Neohellenic Enlightenment and the Greek Revolution. Her social and personal identity is revealed in her writings and relationships. In her private correspondence with her brother, she expressed her inner world as a sensitive soul, while her other writings reflect the public image of a well-respected scholar and a staunch Greek patriot.

Keywords: female writing, patriotism, sensibility, 19^th century